The Peach Dilemma
It is high season for fresh, local peaches. My peach trees have beared and the fruit now gone, but there are plenty of other peach trees in the area still waiting for human hands to come pick their bounty. Or if one had a few extra bucks they could buy them by the box-full, ready to take home and enjoy. So, every year about this time I pick or buy a few bushels of peaches and commence to freezing and canning; for enjoying the rest of the year and, if lucky, into next spring/summer. It seems like a logical homesteading project right?! – to have sweet, delicious peaches at my disposable, especially when it’s a brisk 35 degrees in December and I have the urge to make a smoothie!
For some reason I can’t quite get up the gumption to do it this summer! I saw several boxes of peaches at our local health food store the other day and they were super cheap and literally picked right over the mountain from my place, but I left with no peaches in tow. Driving home I was telling myself, “If you don’t can/freeze peaches you will be sorry this winter,” but I kept driving. Today, I was reminded by my better self (whatever you want to call it) that I should pick up some peaches and I still have time to process them! It went from one side of my brain to the other but didn’t take hold? I have some guesses as to why. I’ve been busy every evening for the past two weeks finishing up a guest cabin I have someone waiting to move into, been fixing a new road on the west side of my property, been cutting up some logs I need to get to my wood yard, I’ve been overly busy at work, I was out of town for a long weekend and getting ready to go out of town for a week next week, plus I still have everything else around the homestead to attend to…
Reflecting on all this I finally figured out what my problem is. Like every homesteader, I tend to bite off a lot more than I can chew. I want to do everything and give it a valiant try, but sometimes I just can’t keep up and have to let go of some things and prioritize! The road can wait a little longer, the firewood can definitely wait, the cabin will be done in a night or two. That leaves me with a few evenings before I go out of town. So my current dilemma is: Do I rest or do I can/freeze peaches?
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I know you’d like to rest, but this winter when you’re REALLY wanting a nice hot peach cobbler or a smoothie or some roasted, candied peaches, you’ll have to buy some from the supermarket. You’ll be kicking yourself because you didn’t do anything about it this summer while you had the opportunity.
Find rest in the doing…without biting too much off, right? Perhaps instead of canning, you could respect that you need a little time off and instead freeze them in halves or puree? Find the happy medium is the hard part.
I’d pick up maybe a half bushel and just do a little. I think you’ll find the time to do a smaller canning session and you’ll be appreciative this winter when (as Tracy said), you’re craving a peach cobbler. =) Good luck!
Tommy I’m going to go against the grain here and say rest. I don’t mean go out to potlucks rest, or have guest rest, but just hang out by yourself rest.
Sure, some peaches would be nice this winter but with how much I know you have on your plate it isn’t unreasonable to let this one go for one year. Remember – things are a LOT different for you this year than they have been the last few, and so you can’t expect to get the exact same amount of work done. And remember the goal is to be happy, not to be some ultimate homesteader. Don’t lose sight of the forest for the peach trees.
My two cents worth of peachless advice.
E.
Thanks for all the input,support and recommendations. I see validity in all of the comments, especially yours Everett, but I think I am going to go with the middle ground like Erin mentioned. Instead of doing an all night canning session I will buy a 1/2 bushel of peaches; wash and quarter and freeze them. If I can do this in under 2 hours it will still give some time for rest, but also satisfy those thoughts of putting up food for winter! And it will be an extra special treat this winter because there won’t be much to enjoy!
Hopefully, by the time the Golden Delicious apples get ready I will be good and rested to make the standard 25-30 quarts of applesauce!
here in England we have what we call Mirabelles(wild plums) and so I’ve made lots of jam,frozen them whole,frozen them cooked and I need some more ideas??? I love reading your blogs…Thank you!
I don’t have much experience with plums, although I planted my first two trees a few years ago and got my first plum about 2 weeks ago! So, I guess I need to start learning how to store these for winter too! I’m hoping to have a nice harvest by this time next year.
Frozen peaches are GREAT when the little babes are teething…I’m just saying
Angie, I can relate to that! I have two daughters who have both used frozen peaches and fruit to help with teething! I’m glad this winter I won’t need teething fixes because my youngest will pretty much have all of her teeth!